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The ancient Egyptians did not have much knowledge about astronomy. They had limited knowledge of geometry itself and also astronomy required very complicated mathematical equations. There is plenty of evidence of the disinterest of the Egyptians in astronomy. |
Also, there are very few constellations in the sky that were discovered by the ancient Egyptians.
In 11th century BC, Amenhope, a Pharaoh, had made a catalogue of the universe and in that there were only five constellations. It had recognized only 36 stars totally and they were called the decans. These decans were used to tell the tie in the night. However, by then, other civilizations like Greeks and Romans had already recognized 18 decans.
The ancient Egyptians also made use of astronomy to position the pyramids. The pyramids were accurately aligned with the east, west, north and south sides. It was easier to find north and south directions this way, and find the stars in the sky also. The Egyptians further learnt to see stars that rose in the east or west and then started learning about directions. Ancient Egyptians also made use of astronomy for designing calendars. Their life and events were based on the flooding of the Nile. So they had three seasons and they described the flooding of the river and the time for harvesting. Also, the seasons were further divided into four lunar months. Lunar months did not have 365 days like a regular calendar and the year was shorter for the ancient Egyptians. This calendar only suited the local religious festivities and not anything else.
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